


Hush

by shyravenns



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Aftermath, Crushes, F/F, F/M, First Time, Flirting, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Future Fic, Insomnia, Kissing, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, after TOA, basically gods are forbidden from being with demigods, their offspring would too powerful to manage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 11:05:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7712509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shyravenns/pseuds/shyravenns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which gods aren't supposed to be with demigods and three years after Nero nobody is alright and apollo and leo are right in between the two</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> basically gods cant be with demigods because their offspring would be too powerful to contain and the result of these unions often lead to death
> 
> romeo and juliet with less stupidity and more gay

Leo's never been the one for secrecy or just keeping his mouth shut. 

Loud noises appeal to him, whether they be music or the sound of laughter, it's always been a source of comfort for him. He enjoys talking, sometimes just to block out the strange emptiness he's always associated with being sad or lonely. The noise makes him less restless, makes his mind easier to control and helps the fidgeting in his fingers and toes to still for a few moments. 

His friends aren't the same as him. Well, they've never been, so this is just adding something to his already growing "not like me" section that he's stored in his computer (One that he's built thankyouverymuch) and keeps it locked away just like the rest of his thoughts. He's always been the outsider to a point. Yeah, he's friendly on occasion and can be scathing the next, but his friends love him despite his mind telling him otherwise on a daily basis. He knows it by the way they drop in (sometimes) or the way they look out for him when he's too tired to move or eat or even sleep. But he knows that at the end of the day, he's somewhat of the outsider. The Nero business improved it somewhat, but they have lives. Real lives. Not just Camp Half Blood or even the college he wants to go to and when he leaves Camp one day he's just going to get left behind or maybe even leave  _them_ behind. Either way, it doesn't bother him that sometimes he wants someone to talk to about his inventions or just someone who holds a general interest in what he says about his passion. 

It's lonely in the forges and he wonders if he'll be the same as his father. 

It's lonely and a bit too warm, but it feels like home despite no one being there except for him and his thoughts.

Except for him.  _Him_ with his slightly scathing smile and his sarcastic barbs being thrown at him. _Him_ with his perfectly tousled blonde hair and seemingly endless blue eyes that remind him of a new dawn or sometimes seem as if the sky is reflecting off of them. _Him_ and his reason for still being with him after everything is done and gone and still calls him late at night to talk about whatever floats in their mind at the moment.  

It started a few days after the Battle. Blood and memories washed over them all in an endless parade of death as they tried to stop at least  _some_ of the bloodshed. Sometimes Leo can still see the blood underneath his fingernails and wishes that he could scrub away the skin.

He showed up at his room, tired yet....dead. His Godhood brought back, but his mind was still lost on everything that happened to him. To them. He didn't know why he came for Leo, he had said. Leo had looked at him with a sigh and jerked him in and they spent the entire night watching movies. Having so much to say, but nothing would come out. Nothing important really, except for the multitude of jokes that passed around. _Apollo_ smiled at him the entire night and he seemed so relaxed by the end of it. His face was different and his body was different too, but Leo could tell it was him. 

He always could when the others were too intimidated. He could tell Apollo appreciated it too.

~

"Leo, what in the seven hells  _are you doing_?" His voice is incredulous and his eyebrows are drawn together in a somewhat concerned manner as he leans over his shoulder to stare at his fingers. Okay, not his fingers, but what he was doing with those fingers. 

Leo snorts as he shrugs off a hand and bites the inside of his cheek. He can smell his cologne by a mile and he  _hates_ it. "Well, you see here, this is what I call a-"

Apollo puffs behind him and moves to his side as he narrows his eyes and shoots Leo a scathing look. "I know what it is, Leo. I wanted to know what you were doing with it. People just don't just build miniature death rays in ten minutes. Hell, I'd give you twenty on a good day." 

"Uh, no. Okay, yes, but I have a good reason! And if you'd stop judging, then maybe I can show you." Leo holds his 'baby' up to eye level and presses a kiss on the side while shooting Apollo a glare. "Also, twenty? Bitch please, give me fifteen and I'll add an wrist watch."

"There is a difference between building something that can cause mass destruction at the blink of an eye and building something like this on a whim. Something troubling you my dear?" He smirks at the last sentence and raises an eyebrow.

Leo rolls his eyes and pushes his face away while reaching for his rubber band and tying his hair (or trying) in a messy ponytail. He doesn't miss the quick glance over from Apollo and the faint blush as he looks away. 

"See something you like Sunshine?" He takes his hands away from his painfully tight ponytail and winks as he tries to ignore the pit in his own stomach. "Also, nothing's wrong I'm just tired."

Apollo blinks at him before glancing at the clock as he winces. "Oh, did I keep you up? Yeah. Right. 4,000 years old and I'm still not used to time." He sighs to himself as he runs a hand through his hair. "Alright, get up and get your ass movin' Leo." Apollo puts a hand on Leo's shoulder with a gentle tug. Leo reluctantly gets up and allows himself to be pushed through the corridors of his underground cabin as he casts a wistful glance at his machine lying on the table. Apollo turns off the last light to the workshop and sets the pace at a slow step as they walk to halls in a comfortable silence before Leo HAS to ruin it.

"Ain't even bought me dinner yet and look where we are...Tsk I though you were a gentlemen." They reach his door and Leo puts in his code (while forcing Apollo to look away). 

Apollo gives him an unimpressed glance and shoves him into his room. "Like you'd even need a dinner Leo, be honest with yourself." He steps in behind him and sits on the chair nearest to the bed as he hands Leo his pills while Leo tries to shake off his embarrassment. 

"I don't need them dude, seriously you're not my mom.." He tries not to let his fidgeting fingers show his nervousness. 

Apollo gives him a look before frowning. "You have insomnia Leo....This'll help, trust me and if it doesn't you can punch me. Again."

Grinning, Leo takes the pills and tries not to overthink about how callused his hands are and takes them dry. Apollo made a gagging sound all the while watching him carefully with a careful mutter of "And you call me grandpa." and settles himself in to watching a quick show while Leo tries to let the sound guide him to sleep.

"Thanks, sunbutt." 

"No probs shorty."

" _First of all, I'm one inch away from be-:_


	2. Chapter 2

Leo falls asleep a short while after, tossing and turning slightly, but eventually settling down into a (hopefully dreamless) slumber. His body rises and falls in a soft slow motions, which seems weird and somewhat different from what he's used to from him. He's become accustomed to the quick rapid movements of his body and the quick movements of his arms and legs whenever he's excited, but this....is different. 

He stays briefly content to look around the room at the collection of posters and comic books and the odd magazines Leo has somehow swiped from Mount Olympus. Leo's room is like any other typical young adult on the precipice of adulthood, but still so childlike and innocent (if you could call Leo Valdez innocent) that it makes him stay if only for a mere moment.

Apollo is....tired. He's so so tired and yet he doesn't sleep (can a god even rest?), in fact he doesn't think he knows how. Sleep for him is something that's always been a sort of a mystic puzzle. Gods can rest if only briefly yet they are aware of their surroundings of all times. If the slightest hint of danger were to occur, they would be well rested even if they had rested for a moment. He supposes it has to do with their fear of death or maybe Zeus is obsessed with setting them apart from everyone. He reminds him of America.

As he watches Leo, he thinks. But no words come to mind. Only a faint sense of pleasure that Leo is finally asleep and the nagging ache that he shouldn't be here. 

He hasn't done this in a while. Preferring to leave whilst his lovers lay unaware (but he's not his lover) and slip through the door while they carry his burden. He can't think of the last time he;s done this. Stopped for a moment and thought to himself as he watched (over) Leo. At least that's what he wants to think, because he can remember. He always remembers. Sighing, he stands up and turns off the lamp on the side of him, feeling self conscious as he hides from his brother's view. 

Taking up the small messenger bag he carries with him now, he pauses as he walks toward the door and feels a sense of annoyance at him. It's like the universe if gnawing at him, asking him why he does these things. (or why he even cares) Biting his lip, he pulls the covers up the Leo's chin, smiling softly at the way a slow snore fills the room. Trust in Valdez to make noise even when he's unconscious. 

He lays a hand on Leo's cheek briefly before remembering where he is and exactly what he's dealing with. He retracts his hand as if he's been burned and walks out the room if only to vanish under the dimming light of the hallway.

 

\--------

Of course she knows. Of fucking course she knows. Of all his muses he's always been a bit fond of Erato. If only for his sense that he loves her (like the rest of course) and that she's always been his own personal confidante whenever he's having problems. She's a bit shy, but to the point if she wants to get her message across and unlike most of his muses he actually sees her for than a few hundred years.

She doesn't live on Olympus, but rather stays on the outskirts. Desiring a peaceful life of slight solitude as she watches love spread across the world in large hops. She is the muse of love after all. Though as much as he loves her, she can be a bit...perceptive. Even for the smallest of things that he thought he would never notice. With Hyacinth she sensed his mood and helped him heal after his death and with Daphne, she comforted him and told him stories of their youth (if gods even have them).

She knows the rules and she knows what would have happened if things wouldn't have turned out the way they had. And to be honest with himself, he missed her the most when he was punished.

Erato watches him through slightly lidded eyes, always drunk on the swell of love in the air. She smiles at him and waves him closer as she sits at his dining room island, tiny feet kicking the air and black hair spilling down in waves across her shoulders. He tries to look busy as he pours himself a drink and tries to forget the coldness in his stomach as she watches him.

"You do know the rules, my love? You know what could happen?" Her voice has a slight tinge of a British accent and she twirls her hair around one delicate finger. "This boy....Do you-"

Apollo snorts as he puts down the bottle and squeezes a lemon into his drink. "Do I what? Love him? Erato please, he's a child. I care for him. There's nothing wrong with caring is there?" 

She smirks. "You care for him? But you also care about him. About his clothes, his food, his hair, his ey-"

Glancing up at her sharply, she turns away to cascade her face with her hair. "And? He's an interesting character, I'll admit, but goes no farther than 'caring' I assure you. Besides, Leo's...young. He has his whole life ahead of him and I won't ruin that for him. I owe him that much." 

"But you forget, everyone is young. The women you 'dated', the men who you kissed, and the others inbetween. Compared to us, we're the world's grandparents."

He fights down a laugh and tips his glass towards her. "You got me there. But as I was saying, I don't love him. Leo's....odd. he just makes me feel at peace. As much as I love my children, I can't help, but want to wind down for a bit and just relax without thinking about saying the wrong thing. That's it."

Turning back, she cocks her head and bits her bottom lip before sighing. She takes her own glass and raises it to her lips before pausing. "Is that why you haven't fucked anyone lately? No, let me finish. Is that also why you forgo parties in favour of spending time with him? Is that why you won't look at Hyacinth's portrait anymore. Because you  _care_ for him?"

"Look-"

"My dear Apollon, you ' _care' for him so much you don't even know it._ But I can. I can feel it blossoming within you and spreading slowly whenever you come home from being with him. And all you do is talk to him, goodness you must be sick. And I advise you to at least distance yourself from him before....:

She doesn't need to finish her sentence. He knows it. She knows it. They all know it. The last time a god 'cared' about a demigod, she was killed. Lighting obliterating her home and family and child she carried and left the poor soul mourning her death ever since. It's been 250 years and Ares still doesn't say her name. Hell, Hephaestus still blames him for it. The love between a demigod and god is..dangerous. The child that would occur would have powers far to powerful than even say Percy Jackson or even Jason Grace and would be too hard to handle. If a union were to ever occur again, then death would be the only answer to a paranoid Zeus. (what is saying, zeus is ALWAYS paranoid. hell, he might even have some sort of godly dementia, but they don't say that in public). It just shouldn't happen. And even if it did, with Apollo's lucky streak, he would be dead from some paranoid asshole or by some fluke of nature that he didn't even intend.

he looks down as she drinks and feels the thirst slowly ebbing away, replaced by a sick feeling. Even if he did act on whatever feelings he might have, what would his brother say? Hephaestus and him don't exactly have the best history (if you forget Apollo punching him in the year 1968) and they didn't even get along most of the time. He would say he only got with Leo to provoke him and considering Hephaestus is the most protective of his children (even if he might not say it), he might even try to hurt Apollo. 

Hell, Leo is his protege and prodigy. Even Athena is impressed with him. His engineering capabilities and somewhat machine like mind far exceeds a normal child of Hephaestus. Leo is the golden boy of cabin nine. He's done projects (Artificial life, teleporters, and even a very small time machine) that most adults don't even get close to do all because he's bored.  

It would be stupid to act on whatever 'caringness' he might feel for him. And don't even mention his own children.

He smiles at Erato and sighs as they lift their glasses towards one another in silence. They don't speak much after.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay so this is going to be really choppy since I barely write, so please forgive any mistakes or confusion.

Blinking blearily into a state of semi-consciousness, Leo waits for his eyes to adjust.  _1:15a,_ his clock reads. His skin is warm and his eyes are slightly crusty at the edges as he sits himself up on an elbow. Rubbing his face with his other hand, he cringes at the nasty taste in his mouth before reaching for the glass of water on his table.

His room is dark, but he can start to see the outline of the walls and various junk that is spread around his floor. He doesn't have a window to look out of and he doesn't have a tv (at least one that hasn't exploded), so he stares at nothing in particular. His mind blissfully and unusually blank as the sleeping medication wears off. His phone lies facedown on his pillow, a new invention innovated by himself and his siblings. 

A slight vibration jolts him and he glares at the small device for a moment, wondering who in gods name would be up at one in the morning. Then again he can think of at least ten different people who would be up at his hour, himself included, and flips it over to stare (and flinch) at the bright screen. The text that he receives is short and the blue pop up covers half of Piper and Jason's smiling faces. 

 

_hey sorry if ur sleeping i just wanted to check in on you._

 from:  _Sunbutt_

 

 Snorting at the message and hearing the background whizz of Buford charging, he types a quick message. 

 

_lol im awake. just got back from the dead. wyd???_

from:  _me_

 

Leo tries to ignore the slight tremor in his heart as he stares at the blinking dots at the bottom of screen before they vanish. Shrugging and trying to push any and all thoughts out of his head, he flings the covers off of him and barely misses stubbing his toe as he leaves his room. Phone in hand and mind still feeling like static, he pushes his way through the warm halls of the Hep. Cabin underground. All Hephaestus kids have a two beds. One above ground in their 'cabin' and one in their rooms, which are located directly beneath the camp and are as spacious and vast as the camp territory above. He leaves for the common area to watch tv seeing as he won't be able to go back to sleep anytime soon and goes through twisting path after path before reaching the comfy room which seats a prohibited flat screen as large as a house because bigger is better. The quietness makes him tense and look around before turning to a random cooking show and wrapping himself in a thin blanket by the armchair.

His phone blinks at him.

 

_drunk as a skunk_

_jkjkjkjk just watching tv since i cant sleep_

from:  _Sunbutt_

 

_u 2?_

_from:_ _me_

 

_what? oh no i literally cant sleep. I just dont do it._

_i mean i can but theres no reason for it._

_anyway sleep is weird to me_

_from:_ Sunbutt

 

_oh okay_

_from: me_

 

_hey are you okay? by now you would have made fun of me and said something vaguely concerning. also why are u up???_

_you should be knocked out???_

_from: Sunbutt_

 

_dude u drugged me about three hours ago im still trying to wake up lol_

_not everyone can avoid sleep like u. also i hungy_

_from: me_

 

_hungy??? i knew u were dyslexic but damn_

_want me to make ur fav??_

_from: Sunbutt_

 

_my fav what_

_from: me_

 

_food u fool. that weird pancake sugary thing that u like_

_all my siblings are boring and workholics and i need someone to entertain me_

_and who ELSE would i go to???_

_from: Sunbutt_

 

Leo tries not to feel the edges of his blanket getting warmer and blows out a small flame as he tries to get himself together. 

 

_yeah but dont make too much noise or else nys is gonna be upset about a grown man in the cabin. again_

_from: me_

 

_again??? actually i dont want to know and ill be over there in a few. u wanna go in the bunker (i forgot what you called it sorry not sorry)_

_that way i can all the noise i want_

_from: sunbutt_

 

_ill pick u up so that u dont get killed by a harpy or something. plus we gotta talk about something_

_from: sunbutt_

 

_the harpys love me u jerk_

_anyway, see u in a few_

_from: me_

 

Biting the bottom of his lip and feeling an uncomfortable amount of heat in his cheeks he stares at the tv. Being friends with a god is..weird. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is for @AppleJuice (frvits) bc they wrote a really nice comment that made my day and it made me feel bad for constantly abandoning my stories lol :D


End file.
